Reading List: Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam and BRAD Talks Books

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Stone Gossard's one of the most eloquent musicians out there. The iconic Pearl Jam and BRAD guitarist has always got something thoughtful to say. Just watch Pearl Jam Twenty! It's no shock that he's quite well-read.

In addition to writing some of the best riffs in rock on BRAD's latest album United We Stand and of course on all of Pearl Jam's classic output, Gossard can be found roving around book stores in search of engaging reads.

While in the midst of supporting United We Stand, BRAD and Pearl Jam guitar maestro Stone Gossard talked to ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino about some titles worth checking out.

Stone Gossard's ARTISTdirect.com Book List:

Haruki Murakami — 1Q84

"The last one I read is the new Murakami book, 1Q84. It's incredible. I highly recommend it. Right now, this struck me as being as so fantastic. It's about a young girl in Japan who writes this story. The girl's story isn't great in terms of construction or presentation, but the elements are so great that this author and his agent decide they're going to help her rewrite it. They're going to create a phenomenon around this girl because she's so young. In the process, it turns surreal. It goes all the way out. It's a love story, and it encompasses all of this strangeness. The simplicity of the love story is so powerful even amidst all of the craziness. It's got gurus, cults, and assassinations. All of this bizarre stuff is woven together in a human way. It's mind-blowing the story someone's imagination can tell. It's very powerful." [at Amazon]

Martin Amis — The Information

"I think Martin Ames is an incredible author. I think of him a lot as one of my favorites. It depends on different phases. The Information is a great one to start on. I think he writes about hangovers better than anyone [Laughs]." [at Amazon]

Norman Rush — Whites

"Norman Rush is another author I think is fantastic as well. He's only written a couple of books, and I'd start with the first one." [at Amazon]